The children

Early years

Under 18 years old children make up 57% of Chad’s 11.3 million population. Out of 10 people, 6 are children and 2 are under five years old. Due to weak social protection mechanisms, poverty and deprivation have direct consequences on the survival of children. Chad is the fifth country in the world with the highest under five mortality after Somalia, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Sierra Leone. 219 under five years old children die every day. 1 child out of 10 dies before his/her first birthday and 17 out of 100 die before their fifth birthday. Infant mortality ratio is 175 per 1,000 live births. The source of these deaths is manifold. Among others, many children are exposed to deadly diseases like cholera, malaria, diphtheria, and meningitis. Only 1 out of 10 children sleeps under a mosquito net, and only 1 out of 5 children has received the combined diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis vaccine (DPT-3). Furthermore, polio outbreak resurfaced in 2010 with 26 cases reported. These issues are exacerbated by recurrent extreme weather conditions such as droughts and floods, which speed up the spread of deadly diseases and malnutrition. Between 2005 and 2010, chronic malnutrition increased from 28 per cent to 39 per cent and acute malnutrition grew from 14.6 per cent to over 16 per cent, including 6.3 per cent children with severe acute malnutrition.